Nightmares
by OveractiveMuse
Summary: A very AU Rose/11 story about finding her in the most unlikely of places.


_Okay, since this is fanfic, the whole River/11 thing didn't quite ever quite connect. Definitely AU of the tallest order. This is the result of watching too much Doctor Who and then having too may nightmares in one night. Unable to sleep this just crawled out of my head and onto the screen._

Everything was fuzzy. She knew it was a dream but she couldn't get out, no matter what she did. It was terrifying. Rarely was she granted a break from the horrors but it seemed like it was only so that she could freshly appreciate each new horror that was inflicted upon her. She knew that this was the punishment for what she had done and yet she felt like no one deserved to suffer this much, not to allow the rest of the world to be free of nightmares. Instead, she had to suffer them all, along with her fellow prisoners. The only real thing that could grant relief was being taken to the edge of insanity. Then they would pull you from the system, allow the mind to heal itself until a prisoner was strong enough to enter the dream state again. Every time she was forced back into the dream she screamed, terrified to go back in. One hour a day was all the reprieve they got. It was a chance to feed themselves, move and get some sunlight before they were all forced back into the dream state. The screams were unbelievable and it was eerie as they were abruptly cut off one by one. She always wanted to be one of the first to be put back under so she wouldn't have to hear it but she was the last every time. She had done the worst of the worst and so she suffered the most for it. She had changed time over and over again. She had kept him alive even though he should have died so very many times. She was Bad Wolf and in their eyes, there was nothing worse than someone who had aided the Doctor.

Her many years in dream state had given her the power to do one thing. Control the minds of the people she saved from their terrors. She was able to give suggestions of how to get the words bad wolf wherever they needed to be. She knew that the doctor would come to understand on some level and it would a help to him. She had been taken from him, but she had to protect him. She knew that in his timeline he had moved on, found others to keep him from his guilt and loneliness but she also knew that she held a place in his heart. She knew because she saw his dreams. His dreams were her constant punishment. His were the only dreams she could never control. The only benefit was that they could not stop her from seeing his good dreams. The only person in the whole universe whose dreams meant the world to her. She was locked into him, they couldn't divert her to another, and she was the center of many of them.

Exactly six years after her first day, they brought in another high security prisoner. For the first time she heard the Doctor's name pass through someone's lips besides her own. They called her River and then a guard looked at her, smiled with a nasty grin and said, "River, the wife and killer of the last time lord. You get her nightmares tonight."

The shock and pain. He had found someone else then. Someone else to care for and she had ended his life. Her nightmares would be horrible if she could gain control of them. It was almost too simple to break into her mind and control what she dreamed of. She tried to make her relive the death of the doctor, with a face so different from her own but she couldn't bear to after a time. He was still her doctor, only the face had changed. She pushed her back into the torments of her childhood. She made her relive every moment in the suit, knowing that she had no control.

During the daily reprieve, prisoners were released to eat. The moment River saw her, she froze and dropped to her knees. After a moment she said, "Rose Tyler. He thinks you're safe! How did you end up here? You should be safe! Oh so safe..." Then River began to cry.

She simply turned and walked to the waiting line. Tears were nothing in this place of horror. It was the only interaction they had. The next night, the guards hooked up a strange set of monitors. Once they were finished, a guard said, "Tonight, River will share your nightmares. Make them good."

Laughing, he slammed the door and began the sequence, forcing them all, one by one into sleep. Controlling her own dreams was simple. She showed River everything that tortured her. Rose made her watch the moment she was separated from the Doctor forever, stuck in separate universes. She forced her to see the dreams of those that had remained and seen how he had broken. She showed her how bad wolf was going to stop River from killing him – which she would not win because Rose was still bad wolf, just in limited form. Finally, Rose let her see the doctor save her life without regard for his own. This more than anything, hurt River. Her mind could not hold it back anymore; she knew that she did not hold a candle to Rose. She also let it slip that the first time he would come to visit her, would be the last time for him. She began to wonder if it was because he would find his Rose.

The doctor coming for her! The idea made Rose truly happy for the first time. It was fleeting. The machines sensed her joy and made the nightmares worse. Although, the night was not one of the worst she had passed in the place.

They misinterpreted the signs. The next day, they pulled Rose from the general population. Apparently being able to feel joy within the nightmares was another sign of instability. She was granted a temporary reprieve.

It was 3 days later that Rose heard a sound she thought would never come again. The secured room was no match for the sonic screwdriver. Deadlocks were not necessary in a place where the prisoners were allowed nothing. She hoped to see him but heard the alarm before that happened. Then, running down the hall, with two others, came the Doctor. It could only be him. Rose banged on the door and screamed with every ounce of breath she had.

He did not hear but one of his companions turned and saw her face. The red haired girl grabbed his arm and spun him towards the door. He looked into the window and the moment their eyes connected, his went wide in shock, then awe, relief and panic. He ran towards the door, not carrying about the alarms or guards. In a second, the door clicked and he pulled it open, holding his hand out and said, "Hello, I'm the doctor. Run!"

She took his hand as a huge smile spread across his face. Hers' felt as if it were going to crack from the pure joy flooding out of it. She grabbed his hand. So new and yet so familiar and they ran. They reached the TARDIS in the nick of time, as always, slammed the doors shut and he pulled her towards him, grabbing her tight and said her name like a mantra, repeating it until it sounded different and then the same again. She held fast to him, never wanting to let him go. Never wanting to be separated from him again.

His hand moved to cup her face as he backed slightly so he could look into her eyes. Gently he said, "My Rose, come back to me at last."

She smiled and said, "My doctor, I told you I would stay with you forever."

A cough interrupted the moment. The doctor looked annoyed but turned partially away and said, "What Rory? What could be so blasted important now?"

"Well for starters, we are still on the prison planet," he said with annoyance.

Her doctor smiled down at her and said, "Barcelona?"

She nodded and moved with him towards the console. She helped him get them going and they were off.

The moment the TARDIS stopped, the doctor ran to the door, opened it and said, "Right, Williams family – go have fun. I think this is the one place in the galaxy that even you two can't get into trouble. Pond. Keep your husband in line please. No more interspecies misunderstandings please."

The girl rolled her eyes and said, "Us? Trouble? What about you Doctor? You enjoy poking trouble with a big stick to see if you can make it mad!"

He looked right at her and said, "Amelia Pond Williams. Out now or it is home for both of you!"

She made her annoyance evident as she stormed from the TARDIS. The moment the door slammed, she looked at him.

He moved quickly to face her. Grave and warily he looked at her closely, checking her over. He saved her eyes for last. Eventually whatever he saw satisfied him and he broke out into a huge grin.

"Rose, I have something to say. I should have told you so many times. I tried when I thought I would never see you again. Now, the chance I never thought I'd have again. I promised myself that I would tell you straight away. Rose Tyler, I love you."

She smiled as tears streamed down her cheeks. She had known that he was going to say it but to finally hear those words in his voice without having to imagine them was the best sound in the world.

He pulled her into his arms, hugging her with everything he was worth. She held him, knowing now how easy it was to lose him. She never wanted that to happen again. After a moment, he pulled back slightly, grinned and said, "I promised myself that I would do one other thing if I ever saw you again, my Rose."

He grinned and before she knew what had happened, his lips were on hers. For the first time, there was no other purpose except to show her that he meant what he had said. He truly did love her. Her doctor. Truly Rose's now. This time, forever.


End file.
